


Sundown

by punch_kicker15



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 18:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20030542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punch_kicker15/pseuds/punch_kicker15
Summary: “Artificial sunshine? That’s a very advanced spell for someone at your level. These forces are not to be trifled with.”





	Sundown

Giles peered over Willow’s shoulder at the text in her hands, and she braced herself for his reaction.

“Artificial sunshine? That’s a very advanced spell for someone at your level. These forces are not to be trifled with.”

Willow fought down a wave of irritation from hearing this for the millionth time. She stared at the stacks of dusty old books on the kitchen table, breathed in the faint scent of sage, and schooled her face into an expression of rapt attention. She told him what he wanted to hear: “I just want to learn. I’ll be careful, honest.”

To her relief, he nodded, seemingly satisfied, and turned his attention back to the Pergamum Codex. 

They sat at the table for a few minutes, with the occasional rustling of papers the only break in the silence. Willow immersed herself into the intricacies of the infrared light frequencies in artificial sunlight versus natural sunlight. The knock at the door startled them both.

Willow jumped up to answer it, whispering an invocation under her breath.

“Who could that be?” Giles muttered. “None of you  lot ever bother to knock.”

The spell told her it was Riley before she swung the door open. Riley squinted down at her. “Hey, what’s with the--”

“My hair? It just wanted to be curly today, and I thought, why fight it?” she answered, her voice a little tight. She whispered another barely-audible spell.

“Riley? Where’s Buffy?” Giles  asked.

Riley glanced at Giles, and then her. 

She had to think fast. “She went to Stars on Ice with Dawn, but she’ll be back soon. Also, can you check my translation of the  the last ten pages of the Pergamum Codex? My Latin’s a little iffy. It’s on the table, next to the box of charms.”

To Riley, she thought,  _ Can _ _ we try telepathy? It’ll just be easier. _

He jumped a little, but thought back,  _ Um, ok. Jesus, Willow. Faith said he wasn’t doing well, but he really doesn’t remember? _

She motioned him over to the couch.  _ He asks about her five times a day, at least. At first, we tried telling him the truth, before we realized how often he was going to forget again. It just seems cruel to tell him, “She died ten years ago” over and over, you know? He can’t process it, so he can’t heal. _

She could almost see the wheels in his head turn.  _ So that’s why you have the glamour thing so you look like you did in college? And that’s why this place looks like his old apartment? _

_Yep,_ she thought. _The dementia experts say it_ _makes him happy-__ish__ if the place and the people match the __time__ he thinks he’s in. Not to be Rude Girl, but why are you here?_

He said, “Sam--”

She shot him a warning glance.  _ Sorry, I’m not used to this. Sam’s cousin got bitten by a  _ _ Ver’ath _ _ demon and mentally connected with all of the people in the world.  _

This again. For a moment, she entertained a fantasy of teleporting him back to his perfect family and his no-real-problems life. But that would be an abuse of her power. And it would upset Giles.  _ Sam emailed me about it already. The coven says it’ll wear off in a few weeks, and as far as advice goes, I’m the last person who should be giving it. I’m Exhibit A in What Not to Do when you have a mystical connection to everyone on the planet.  _

To his credit, he looked a little abashed, but after a pause, he continued.  _ She doesn’t need someone telling her what to do. She says she needs to talk to someone who knows what it feels like. _

She thought about her early days with the coven. For months, it felt like everything was drab and colorless after seeing the kaleidoscope of vibrant colors of the world, and there was no one to talk to about the loss, because no one else there had felt that.

Giles crossed the room to one of the bookshelves, running his hand over the volumes. He seemed far enough out of earshot for them to just talk. 

“I have a couple of days off from Watcher-sitting this week,” she said to Riley. “She can call or text me on Wednesday or Friday.”

“Thanks, we really appreciate that.” He headed for the door, then turned back to her. “Is all this really necessary? It seems like an awful lot of work maintaining this--charade all of the time, with the  glamours and all.”

“A normal memory care facility won’t work. Sometimes he casts spells when he thinks he’s back in the  Eyghon days. And a long time ago, he took care of me when I needed it.” She kept her tone even, conveying a certainty she didn’t quite feel. He didn’t really didn’t want to know how hard it was to gauge whether she and the coven were doing the right thing. Or how much of  a struggle it was to guess where Giles’ memories were on a particular day. Riley wasn’t that close a friend.

He fumbled with the doorknob. “I mean, aren’t there healing spells that could help? The wizards in my unit did a great job when Graham’s leg got crushed underneath a griffin.”

She lifted the glamour she’d cast on him, so his scar and receding hairline were visible again. “There’s a difference between Graham’s leg and Giles’ brain. The human mind--”

From across the room, Giles finished her sentence. “--is delicate. Too much can go wrong.”

She ushered Riley out the door. When he was gone, she turned back to Giles. 

He peered at her over the top of his glasses, the translation pages in his hands. “I’m still here,” he said. “Sometimes.”

She let out a half-breath, half-sob. “Yeah, you are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Author Notes: Written for summer of giles and buffyversebingo, prompt: charade


End file.
